


In your eyes (There's a vow)

by intothemidnightblue



Series: Musicbox [9]
Category: Haven (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Compliant, Canon Related, Don't copy to another site, M/M, Post-Canon, Sad, Song Lyrics, Songfic, f in the chat gaymerz, one dies but at the end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-08
Updated: 2019-09-08
Packaged: 2020-10-12 05:50:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20559287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/intothemidnightblue/pseuds/intothemidnightblue
Summary: To take me down...How low can you go?





	In your eyes (There's a vow)

_'Cause I've been planning for an alibi_

_To take you out of sight_

A hand on the radio smashed it to bits. Nathan took a step back without thinking. An instinctive moment, he was never good at calculating the risk he was in. He always stilled when his eyes faced back towards Duke. Counterintuitive as always when the man attacking is one of the few who steadies you.

“You know nothing you do can hurt me,” Nathan said, forcing his eyes to meet the darkness in his match. His words quick and concise, Duke able to read each meaning as he grabbed a fractured splinter of wood and picked it up, feeling the weight as if he was imagining it piercing Nathan’s heart.

“The barn made it impossible for me to take your trouble, yes. You’re only guessing if it affects the others. You forget I’m not made of just me,” Duke grinned at him, eyes fading back to his normal colour. It was one mark off the meanings of Nathan’s words.

“I know this isn’t you,” Nathan steeled his voice not to plead.

“No, I’m what you made me,” Duke growled. His blink-and-you’ll-miss-it movement’s bringing him close as he three down the piece of wood and roughly grabbed Nathan, dragging their bodies back to the wall. There was a perception of pain wherever Duke touched him, enough to tell him Duke was careful not to break him yet in the force of his back hitting the wood.

“You can’t hurt me,” Nathan insisted.

“I never wanted to...,” Duke said in a voice just his own and it felt like the world paused around them.

“... but now I do,” Duke finished as the black returned to his eyes. Duke gave him the first broke bone he could feel, stomping his boot on Nathan’s foot hard enough that there was a definite fracture. God damn the strategic closeness. The jaunt in the Armory seemed to strengthen their bond. Now, it was like the slight otherworldly inheritance they now have allows them to feel through more than just skin.

“Let us help again. We can fix this. We can get you back to Vince! Croatoan is getting close to reversing this-“

“**This** was our fix Nathan, look what it did to me. You saved so many with Paige, congratulations! Unlike all your floundering, I know how this ends,” Dukes voice cracked at the last part.

“Tell me how it ends Duke,” Nathan took a risk, using his limited movement to bring Duke in even closer. Hopefully also just close enough to limit the scope any attacks. Nathan remembered the radio, rest In peace. Nothing would stop that from happening, except hopefully, the power-up from the armoury.

“It ends when you die Nathan,” Duke’s ink dark eyes didn’t fade, but they did threaten tears.

“You’re in the centre of everything Nathan. It was you who brought me back. You know that neither Aubrey nor Paige ever would have,” Duke’s voice was quiet and rough.

“I needed you,” Nathan matched Duke’s whispers.

“You always do,” Duke shoved him the best he could with their limited range.

“Not like that,” Nathan insisted, forcing his hands free enough to bring them to Duke’s face. Duke grabbed his wrists but didn’t pull them away.

“That’s what I meant. Nathan, you have always tried to pick me. Even when we were kids, you were always right there beside me. And god- whatever I was running from, I never thought it would be this but fuck if I wasn’t right to push you away,” Duke let his eyes fade, and Nathan could finally see what Duke had been fighting. It was as clear in his eyes as every kiss they had ever shared.

“Just give me more time,” Nathan wanted to run, but Duke’s steadiness was resolute.

“This is why you let me find you in every vision. Every single person in Haven, Nathan. The last thing you let them all see was your tattoo. You have asked me, in each vision, in just calling me into existence again, you have told me in the past and future and present to finally end this. It’s the only way of defeating them when they get here. I have to... I have to...” Duke’s hands fell limp to his sides, but Nathan didn’t move his feet. He brought them together one last time, a peck on the lips asking for just one more kiss that Duke would keep on returning.

“I don’t want you to die... not again... not after all you’ve done to be more than everything everyone wants you to be. I want you to have time to just be you... but we never have the time,” Nathan forced himself to accept what he had watched everyone else accept for him. Everyone who had died so that he could live and keep dragging everyone down to hell with him. Nathan pulled Duke into a hug.

“Nathan I’m about to kill you, you can’t be worrying about me,” Duke couldn’t hold a bite of laughter any more than he could hold in the tears staining his face.

“I’m sorry,” Nathan let out a laugh of his own, thinking of how little he had spoken those words to Duke. His eyes were clouding with tears of his own, he didn’t want to go but it was time. Every time he had died before... it wasn’t like this. It was never so final. It was always like holding your breath while falling. He worried he would never stop falling. If he would ever breathe again, the device would surely finish its mission.

“I won’t let them get here. I won’t let us fail,” Duke promised.

“I know,” Nathan said, as he felt the old knife like a pressure at his spine. His knees buckled but Duke didn’t let him fall. He always fell. He was never let down with such reverence, both of them on the floor, Duke cradling him after taking the knife out and throwing it as far away as he could.

“I change my mind, stay with me forever,” Duke sounded like his old self, he sounded like the home Nathan will always find.

“I love you,” Nathan promised.

“I can’t be the hero without you,” Duke worried, crying with abandon.

“You will always be my hero...” Nathan forced out with his last breaths. Letting himself sink so completely into Duke’s arms.

_Oh and I'm trying to crawl up_

_And burn just right_

_Oh and I don't ever think I can_

_Ever learn how to love you right_

**Author's Note:**

> *slaps this work out in three hours and refuses to ever read it again but IS willing to share it with the world*
> 
> I continue to make up dumb sci fi things to make this world bend to my whims. The people who banished Mara and friends are coming to destroy what Mara “ruined” and Nathan’s trouble makes him the perfect host for this ~device~ they left to clear a path for them. Duke is just supercharged enough to Do The Thing and win, but only if Nathan isn’t in the picture specifically because they cancel each other out a la Tribulation.   
This might have had too many ideas but idc I write for fun lol. 
> 
> _____________________________________________  
comments and kudos remain the best way to tempt me back to places. someone left a super great comment on my last work so I was like,,, damn fandom might be dead but the people are still poppin'.  
find me on tumblr @ [lockewoodandco](http://www.lockewoodandco.tumblr.com)  
twit @ [ jaceisblue](http://twitter.com/jaceisblue)  
Also, check out my backlog if you're a fandom hopper! the Musicbox is always a great place to start.


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